AM MUSINGS

Food as Art

2/25/2013

 
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Lunch on Pine Street
Chris made this salad for lunch yesterday and said that the paints were part of the presentation.  She used a couple of hard boiled eggs I made the day before.  My method of cooking hard boiled eggs is an adaption of the Cooks Magazine shallow boiled method.  Click this link to look at the method.  Note that these eggs are steamed for 8 minutes rather than the 10 minutes in the recipe.
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A Holiday Tradition

12/26/2012

 
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Simple Perfection
The art of apple pie has been a family tradition as long as I can remember. My Dad made them. My Mom made them. I tried my hand at it, but Chris has truly perfected it.

This one was truly great. The crust buttery, flaky, with no trace of undercooked and doughy bottom crust. The apple filling tart and sweet and cooked enough to have some bite, texture and keep its shape. The combination and contrast wonderful. Thank you.
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Speedwash

10/15/2012

 
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October 13, 2012 Painting by Chris
In a previous blog, "Retreat to Advance", Chris has now completed a three week painting retreat in Arcata, CA.  This is her final painting, which I am calling "Speedwash".  It is a scene from the Highway 101 overpass looking towards the center of Arcata.
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Retreat to Advance

9/24/2012

 
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The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth. Lao Tzu
Chris in on a painting retreat.  Here is her arsenal.



 
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The Creative Force

7/14/2012

 
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Linolium Block Print
Linolium  block prints reflect the ancient human urge to create images.  The first time someone looked at a footprint in the mud and thought - "What if I . . .?"  (Chris is taking a block printing class).
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A Whiter Shade of Pale

5/22/2012

 
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rhododendron fragrantissimum and iceberg rose
                                                                        fragrantissimum       
                                                                   and iceberg rose petals      
                                                                          a moment in time
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Apple Souffle - Bette's Ocean View Diner - Berkeley

2/14/2012

 
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Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley bustling 4th Street retail area doesn't really have an ocean view, but it have a fantastic apple souffle that Chris almost always orders.  We visited last weekend and the apple souffle is as good as ever.
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Scarf

2/1/2012

 
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Last August, I wrote about Chris' yarn purchases for a scarf.  Well she finished it and gave it to me.  Soft, warm, nice colors and one of a kind. Lucky me!
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Apple Galette - the perfect ratio of apple to crust

1/5/2012

 
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Galette crust
 

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Ready for the Oven
 

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Apple Galette
I love apple pies, apple turnovers, chausson aux pommes, tart tartins, and apple galettes -- anything with baked apples and a buttery crust.  Chris made two beautiful apple galettes recently and I decided this combination has the perfect ratio of crust to apples.  The single layer of apples seems to cook to just the right degree of doneness just as the crust is browned and flakey.   

A technique she just learned to get a nicely browned crust -- pre-heat a cookie sheet in the oven until hot and set the galette pan on top of the hot cookie sheet. 
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Chris' Tart Tartin

12/15/2011

 
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Chris's Tart Tartin
Hard to beat Poilane Bakery's Tart Tartin in Paris, but Chris' comes close.  Tart Tartin is a French relative of the traditional American apple pie.  A lot of great recipes don't have too many ingredients.  Instead they depend on the quality of the ingredients and the technique.  This is one.  Our family has a long tradition of making apple pies starting from my father, who worked in restaurants as a kid and young man.  I made them for a while, but not any more. 

The tradition is now carried on by his daughter-in-law Chris.  Did I tell you that Chris makes a great apple pie?


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